Is the UK Paving the Way on Neonatal Leave?

It has recently been confirmed that from the 6^th April 2025, employees will be entitled to 12 weeks of paid leave if their baby requires neonatal care.

Delving into the nitty gritty of the new Neonatal Leave law, employees will be entitled to this from day one of their employment, and the employee must also be one of the baby’s parents or intended parents (in regards to surrogacy), and the baby must be born after the 6^th April 2025 for this to qualify.

In terms of the neonatal care itself, it must have taken place or begun within the first 28 days of birth and care must continue for a period of at least seven continuous days – so this could still be potentially disappointing for those parents who discover health issues that require neonatal care after the first few weeks of their child’s birth.

Before the passing of this law, the reality for many parents of sick or premature babies has been having to juggle this emotionally strenuous circumstance with ensuring they either have enough paid leave to take off work or in fact go to work whilst their child is in neonatal care. But after consistent advocacy from non-profit Working Families, the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill was able to take shape, and is finally coming to fruition later this year.

This new law is paving the way for companies on a global scale to consider the realities of parenthood and make conscious efforts to amend their policies to include the offering of leave in the event of a premature birth. According to the World Health Organization, 13.4 million babies are born prematurely every year, and so it’s important for employers to be reflecting this reality into their maternity and paternity leave policies.

Whilst countries like Canada, Croatia, and Finland do offer the extension of maternity leave in the case of a premature birth or a poorly baby, the UK is the first country to pass a specific bill which addresses neonatal care and views it as a separate entitlement.

For the US, the passing of this new law may be a call to action for many American employers who are not offering neonatal care leave as a part of their benefit packages. With the majority of the workforce now made up of Millennials and Gen Z – both of which are either already parents or nearing the age of becoming parents – a benefit like this may prove very attractive and important for the younger generations in the workforce.  

If you are a company that would like guidance in creating a neonatal care leave policy, please get in touch with us today.